Whitecaps snap winless streak with 3-2 victory over ‘Quakes

Vancouver thrills at 40th anniversary; Mattocks limps off

Members of the 1974 Whitecaps team celebrate 40 years of soccer with Vancouver Whitecaps. It was pre game of Whitecaps vs San Jose Earthquakes in MLS action Saturday, May 3, 2014, at B.C. Place in Vancouver, B.C.

Photograph by: Steve Bosch
, PNG

By the 20th minute at BC Place, they had stunned San Jose, and another capacity crowd of 21,000 on throwback day, with three goals. Earthquakes head coach Mark Watson was likely wishing he could play carny and invoke the ‘move-on’ rule. You know: “That’s enough boys, you’re too good. Go find another game.”

The Caps, who were celebrating the 40th anniversary of the organization’s inaugural game, wouldn’t find net again, although it wasn’t for lack of trying. They fired 13 first-half shots, seven of them on target, and 17 overall.

But the much-needed 3-2 victory was a prize better than any giant panda for the 3-2-4 Caps, who snapped a four-game winless streak.

“I’m at a loss for words,” head coach Carl Robinson said of his club’s torrid start to the game. “I challenged them at the start of the game because it was a fantastic occasion for the club, the tradition of the club.

“For 30 minutes we were absolutely sensational.”

The Whitecaps looked dangerous on almost every push forward in the first half as they continually found acres of opening running room in the midfield. Speed merchants Darren Mattocks and Kekuta Manneh frequently exposed the Earthquakes’ slow-footed back line while Gershon Koffie, Pedro Morales and Sebastian Fernandez were laying down pinpoint passes.

Poor Earthquakes goalkeeper Jon Busch looked like he was the unfortunate duck rolling across the fake water as Caps’ players took dead aim. Well, not at him specifically, but the goal in general.

The ‘Quakes, now 1-3-3 on the season, defended better in the second half. But they could have hardly been any worse. And they got a consolation goal in stoppage time from Chris Wondolowski to make things a little interesting in the end.

“We’ve got learn to manage games,” Robinson said of his club’s uneven final 30 minutes. “When we’re ahead, how do we manage games. We need to run into corners, rather than open the pitch up.

“It’s my job to teach them on that. We’ll get there.”

The only troubling note out of this one for the Caps was that Mattocks went down in the 28th minute and limped off slowly to the dressing room with what appeared to be a pulled left hamstring.

After a couple of early close calls, Manneh got the Caps on the board in the 10th minute after working himself into good position in the box. His initial shot to the short side of Busch bounced off the goalpost right back to him and he coolly placed the ball high to the wide-open far side.

Fernandez unleashed a shot from 22 yards out in the 15th minute only to have a leaping Busch get a hand on the ball and deflect it over the top of the goal.

But four minutes later, Morales scored on a penalty kick after Mattocks, trying to juke around defender Victor Bernardez in the box had his feet clipped and went down. Referee Drew Fischer hesitated only briefly before pointing to the spot.

Just a minute after that goal, Morales, the Chilean playmaker in his first season with the Caps, made it 3-0 with a blast from 20 yards out that went just inside the far post and easily out of the reach of Busch. Morales immediately whipped off his shirt and tore around the field, earning a yellow card from Fischer.

“I think we started off really well because of the preparation mentally and we put them under a lot of pressure from the get-go,” Morales said through an interpreter.

“We created a lot of opportunities. It was exciting for the fans.”

Erik Hurtado had a terrific chance to score his first MLS goal in the 35th minute, but his blast from close range was cleared off the line by San Jose’s Sam Cronin.

The woeful ‘Quakes didn’t get their first shot off until the 36th minute, although it was deflected wide for a corner. The always dangerous Wondolowski got his head on that corner, but David Ousted parried the ball away with his left hand, and, after a brief scramble in front of goal, Jay DeMerit cleared the ball out of trouble.

DeMerit, who looked fresh after sitting out last week’s 2-2 draw at Real Salt Lake was a tower of strength for most of the game, aggressively throwing his head at crossed in balls.

But he got a little too aggressive in the 44th minute, bowling over Alan Gordon inside the box for a penalty. Wondolowski easily converted from the spot, going to Ousted’s left as the ‘keeper dove right.

Hurtado, the second-year Cap whose speed is intoxicating, but whose touch is still a work in progress, had a couple of opportunities in the second half to get that elusive goal.

The best came when he went one v. one on Bernardez from 35 yards out. He turned the San Jose defender inside out at the top of the box, but by the time he could get a shot off from about eight yards, a hard-charging Busch was there to make the save.

More on This Story

Story Tools

Members of the 1974 Whitecaps team celebrate 40 years of soccer with Vancouver Whitecaps. It was pre game of Whitecaps vs San Jose Earthquakes in MLS action Saturday, May 3, 2014, at B.C. Place in Vancouver, B.C.

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.